The closure of the cafes has caused a huge growth in the addictive drink fan community • Meet the people who invest a huge amount of time and money in creating the perfect coffee in the living room of their home
Eitan Khalif and the coffee machines in the living room of his house
Photography:
Courtesy of the photographer
Right and left, religious and secular, Maccabi fans and Hapoel Tel Aviv fans, one thing is for sure - the whole nation of Israel, regardless of religion, race, sector and gender, is addicted to coffee.
Most of us drink coffee on a daily basis, whether it is at home, in the neighborhood cafe or at work.
For some it's just a nice addition to the morning cookie, for others it's a necessary ceremony to open the day.
Even before the corona virus broke into our lives, we were slowly exposed to the third wave of coffee.
New and special cafes have opened throughout the country, and especially in Tel Aviv, alongside the growth of a growing community of coffee lovers, and at the same time specializing thanks to the vast knowledge shared by its members.
Corona may have closed the cafes but has opened a window of opportunity for people who want to upgrade their love of coffee to something that is beyond the hobby, improve their skills and even specialize and turn the hobby into a real profession.
Along with those people for whom the pinnacle of daring is the purchase of a professional home coffee machine for hundreds of shekels or a thousand shekels, there are quite a few coffee addicts who have turned the house into a real cafe, with the most advanced equipment in their living room.
"More and more people are being exposed to the third wave of coffee," says Yuval Neiman, a barista and coffee expert whose one occupation is, among other things, to reach homes and teach people who have purchased a new coffee machine how to operate it properly.
As a result, the standard of taste that people are used to has changed, people are no longer satisfied with a classic machine, in "mud coffee", capsules or not fresh coffee. You can easily see how it picks up speed - more people buy whole beans home to enhance the experience and actually grind The beans are independently placed near the coffee maker, requiring recommendations on which machine or grinder to buy, along with methods and tips for making it that will look just like the coffee you buy in the cafes. "
"On social media, and especially on Facebook, you can see the growth of coffee-loving communities, where interesting discussions are opened about the smallest nuances in making coffee. Until a year ago we did not see it in these dimensions but today it is no longer surprising to see thousands of espresso machines in homes Shekels. "
"Personally, I receive dozens of messages a week about making coffee at home, recommendations for home machines, how to make latte art and orders for home coffee tutorials that I give to customers. Making espresso at home requires a little more basic knowledge. People who are willing to invest thousands in shekels consider ordering a person Profession to get guidance on how to make the perfect cup of coffee. "
"Today, the initial budget for a grinder and a home espresso machine, together with the accessories that include a press and a jug for whipping milk, is about 1,000 shekels. It can be said that most people who choose to create a home coffee corner invest much more than that, between 3,000 and 6,000 shekels. "Of users who choose to take the hobby one step further - an espresso machine and grinder worth twenty or thirty thousand shekels, a small home roasting machine, a beer tap of Nitro coffee, just like opening a cafe, only at home."
Adi Goldstein, a music producer and composer, is one of those coffee lovers who invited Neiman for a tutorial.
In the living room of his house, a home coffee machine worth 7,000 shekels, which he defines as the "Mercedes" of the coffee machines, however, he is now waiting for the "Porsche of the coffee machines" that is due to arrive in the coming days from Italy.
"The world of coffee is a science," says Goldstein.
"The more accurate we are in the small details, the better the coffee will come out. I am terribly self-taught and have been able to learn a lot of things on my own, but I felt that if I brought a professional barista to teach me what I do not know, I could reach the real and perfect coffee I seek. "Upgrading more and more. This is such a wide and developed world, and despite that it is still difficult to find people who understand it and materials on the net in Hebrew."
how it all began?
"I've always been a person who consumes quite a bit of coffee, it makes me much more productive. It started with a relatively simple machine quite a few years ago. Every few months I changed and upgraded, until I moved to a Mac and stayed with it for quite a few years. "After a few years I felt a certain exhaustion and felt the need to step up, which is actually a digital machine. I was happy with it and it was a lot more fun than a machine with capsules, which I personally can't drink."
"From there I decided to 'jump' to the more professional machines and there I really discovered a new world. I grind alone, need to know what type of roasting is suitable for everything, consider and more. I started buying more ancillary products. Grinders, weights. It was important for me to be precise in the smallest details and investment. The mercury was accordingly. Later, I realized that even in machines worth thousands of shekels there is no control over the water temperature and I started to find out about machines that have this option. Now I am waiting for a machine from "la marzocco" that should come to me from Italy.
Is it worth it?
"I work from home, so for me the first coffee of the morning is very important. I do not go out to cafes much because my work is from home, and I host a lot when possible. The equipment I have at home makes me enjoy more and invest in coffee for guests as well. "Sometimes coffee is better than coffee. I weigh each dish, each coffee blend gets its own grinding time, different water flow, different pressure, temperature. There are lots of elements that experience getting into them."
"I drink at least five cups of coffee a day. For a coffee geek like me it definitely pays off. Financially it may not pay off, although if I do a dry calculation in retrospect of how much all the cups of coffee I drank would cost me in a coffee shop, it could very well pay off.
This is a ceremony that I really like grinding, roasting, brushing the machine at the end of each day.
The equipment is not cheap, but dealing with it is very enjoyable.
This is not about putting a cup under the device and pressing a button.
I really like it so I have no problem with all the fuss and the associated costs.
Eitan Khalif, a 37-year-old creative man, has a manual professional machine with two boilers in his living room, one professional machine with one boiler, a professional coffee grinder and another that is expected to arrive soon from abroad, three different capsule machines, two weights and no less than twenty "toys" Additional for making and arranging the coffee.
"I've always loved coffee," he says.
"Like everyone else, in my youth I used to drink miracle coffee. After the army I started drinking more 'proper' coffee, but the real 'madness' started after the first trip to Italy, where I fell in love with the world of coffee."
"I am in a state of constant learning. Learning about techniques, types of coffee (drip, prize and more), schools and especially how to get the perfect espresso. However, and without sounding condescending, I can already say that my coffee at home does not fall short of the level of leading cafes In Israel. "
"You could say that the corona brought the coffee business back into the house," Calif explains.
"A lot of new members have popped up in the forums, and a lot of businesses in the field have adapted to the situation and improved their delivery services. Some of my friends have even purchased coffee roasters from abroad and also started lightening themselves."
Asked if he could estimate the economic value of all the coffee equipment in his house, Khalif replied: .
But on the other hand, it means I would be left without coffee, which is a problem. "
